1

[FirstpublishedasElectionFraudinAmerica, CentreforResearchonGlobalization (30November2004),

http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/KEE411D.html(togetherwithacompanionpiece,EvidenceofFraudin
the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election: A Reader, Centre for Research on Globalization [5 December 2004],
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/KEE412A.html).Thisessayappearedunderthepresenttitleatthenow
defunctwebsiteofAutonomy&Solidarity(2December2004);underitsoriginaltitleitwasalsopublishedatsix
otherwebsitesin2004,andisalsoavailableathttp://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=209.In
theoriginaltext,parentheticalreferencestosourcesreferredtoitemslistedintheEvidenceofFraudreader;
inthepresenttext,theseparentheticalreferenceshavebeenreplacedbyfootnotes.
Twoissuesraisedinthisessaycallforcomment.Inreferringonpp.1213toastatisticalstudypublished
onNovember18,2004byMichaelHoutoftheUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeleythatclaimedtodiscover
massiveirregularitiesinBush'sFloridavoteduetoelectronicvotingmachines,Ialsocitedaresponsetothis
studypublishedthreedayslaterbyAlexStrashnyoftheUniversityofCalifornia,Irvine,thatcriticizedHout's
study.Strashny'srefutationofHout'sanalysis,asHouthimselfacknowledgedwithsomeembarrassmentnot
longaftertheappearanceofmyarticle,wascorrect.
On p. 14 I referred to Teed Rockwell's discovery that according to the Cuyahoga County Board of
Electionswebsite,93,000morevoteswerecastin29communitiesofthatcountythantherewereregistered
voters.Hereagainacorrectionisneeded.Rockwellwasnotmistakeninhisreadingofthedatapublishedbythe
CuyahogaCountyBoardofElections:Ireadoverthesamedatamyselfandfound,asInotedonp.14,thathe
hadifanythingbeenconservativeinhisassessmentofthescaleoftheirregularitiesthatthatwebsiterevealed.
ButasIwroteinTheStrangeDeathofAmericanDemocracy:EndgameinOhio(publishedonJanuary
25,2005),thiswasaverylargescalefalsealarm.Inthatessay,Iexplainedthematterasfollows:
TheelectionresultspublishedbyCuyahogaCounty(whichincludesthecityofCleveland)
ledanumberofcommentatorsinNovember2004myselfamongthemtobelievethat
therehadbeenmassive'ghostvoting'fraudinthesuburbsofCleveland.Buttheofficial
lists showing twentynine communities with voter turnout figures of more than 100
percent(andhencesome93,000'ghostvotes'inthecounty)turnedouttoresultfroma
bizarrely structured software program that grouped communities in the same
congressional,houseandsenatedistricts,andaddedthetotalnumberofabsenteeballots
withinthecombineddistrictstothevoterturnoutfiguresforeachcommunityinthese
districtsthoughnottothevotetotalsforcandidatesorissues.Thisprogrammingoddity
worked,theCounty'swebsiteidioticallydeclared,inevennumberedyears.
Ihaveleftthetextofthepresentarticleunchanged:thesepassagesprovideaninstructiveindicationofthe
potentialpitfallsinvolvedinworkofthiskind.]

[Index:USpolitics,electoralfraud,Ukraine,Venezuela]
[Date:November2004]

TheStolenU.S.PresidentialElection:
AComparativeAnalysis

MichaelKeefer

1.Letuscomparemythologies:PresidentialVotesintheU.S.,
Ukraine,Venezuela
Imagine the sensation that would have ensued ifa United States Senator had
declared,lessthanthreeweeksafterthe2004U.S.presidentialelection,thatItisnow
apparent that a concerted and forceful program of electionday fraud and abuse was
enactedwitheithertheleadershiporcooperationofgovernmentalauthorities.Thestory
wouldhavemadebannerheadlinesaroundtheworld.
As amatter offact, onNovember 22,2004, BBCNews attributed these very
words to Republican Senator Richard Lugar. However, Lugar was speaking in his
capacity as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committeeand he was
referring, not to the U.S. presidential election of November 2, but to the Ukrainian
presidentialelectionofNovember21,2004.1
The primary evidence for Lugars charge of electoral fraud is a striking
divergence between exit poll data and official vote tallies. As it happens, wide
divergences of this kind have been a feature of three important recent elections: the
VenezuelanrecallreferendumoverPresidentChvezsmandateheldonAugust15and
the U.S. presidential election of November 2, as well as the Ukrainian presidential
electionofNovember21.Inallthreecasesthereissubstantialevidenceoffraudthough
thedishonestyappearstobeverydifferentlydistributed.Inbrief:theVenezuelanelection
wascleanandtheexitpollflagrantlydishonest;theUkrainianvotetalliesandexitpolling
seem both to have been in various ways seriously corrupted; the American election,
1

SeeUkrainecitiesdefypollresult,BBCNews(22November2004),
http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4033475.stm;andInquotes:WorldconcernatUkraineelection,
BBCNews(23November2004),http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4034013.stm.

3
despitetheBushRepublicansposeasinternationalarbitersofintegrity,wasmanifestly
stolenthoughtheU.S.exitpollingwasprofessionallyconducted.(Theexitpollswere
subsequentlytamperedwith,butaccurateresultshadinthemeantimebeenmadepublic.)
a.Venezuela
HugoChvezslandslidevictoryinAugustwasasurpriseonlytothehostileU.S.
corporatepress,whichhadrepresentedtheVenezuelanelectioncampaignasadeadheat:
thelastopinionpollpriortothereferenduminfactshowedChvezleadingbyawide
margin,with50percentofregisteredvoterstotheoppositions38percent.Intheofficial
tally,Chvezwon58.26percentofthevotes,while41.74percentwerecastagainsthim.
Internationalobservers,includingtheOrganizationofAmericanStatesandtheCarter
Center, declared that theelection hadbeenfair: inexU.S.PresidentJimmyCarters
words,anyallegationsoffraudarecompletelyunwarranted.2
ButonelectiondaytheleadingNewYorkpollingfirmPenn,Schoen&Berland
disgraced itself by releasing (before the polls closed, and hence in violation of
Venezuelanlaw)apurportedlyauthoritativeexitpoll,withaclaimedmarginoferror
under+/1%,accordingtowhichChvezhadbeendefeated,gainingamere41percent
of the vote to the oppositions 59 percent. The exit polling, it emerged, had been
conductedthoughnotinChavistaneighbourhoods,wherethepollstersdidnotventure 3
byanoppositiongroupnamedSmate,whichhadbeenformedtoagitateforarecall
referendum,andwhoseleadershiphadbeenimplicatedinthe2002antiChvezcoup.
Smate appears to have been largely funded by the U.S. National Endowment for
Democracy(NED),whichhasbeenaptlydescribedastheCIAscivilianarm, 4andby
theCIAitself;5 intheperiodleadinguptotheelection,Venezuelanoppositiongroups
likeSmatereceivedaltogethermorethan$20millionfromtheU.S.,includingover$3
2

DavidRosnick,PollingandtheBallot:TheVenezuelanReferendum,CenterforEconomicandPolicy
Research(19August2004),http://www.cepr.net/publications/venezuelan_referendum.htm.
3
JonahGindin,Venezuela'sOppositionResortstoPhonyExitPolls,Venezuelanalysis.com(15August
2004),http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1248.
4
MichelChossudovsky,IMFSponsored'Democracy'inTheUkraine,CentreforResearchon
Globalization(28November2004),http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO411D.html.
5
SeeSmate,http://www.venezuelafoia.info/NED/SUMATE/SUMATE%20index.htm.

4
million funneled through the NED.6 As had been understood prior to the event,7
fraudulentexitpollingwaspartofaconcertedU.S.backedprojectofdelegitimizingand
destabilizingthegovernmentofageopoliticallyimportantoilproducingnation.Hadthe
electionbeenlessofalandslide,andhaditnotbeenconductedwithwhatappearstohave
beenscrupulouscorrectness,theplanmighthavesucceeded.
b.Ukraine
Ukraineislikewiserecognizedasacountryofpivotalgeopoliticalimportance;8it
isakeyelementintheU.S.sSilkRoadStrategyfordominationofcentralAsia. 9Here
theelectionresultsweremuchcloser,andhavebeenmorevigorouslycontested.Viktor
Yanukovych,thecandidatefavouredbyUkrainesRussianneighbours,wasdeclaredthe
winner,with49.4percentofthevotetotheWesternleaningViktorYushchenkos46.7
percent. But Yushchenko and his partysupported by a growing chorus of Western
commentators and governmentshave cried foul, and Ukraines Supreme Court has
rejected the certified vote tally, declaring that the election must be repeated in late
December.
While the Ukrainian exit poll figures publicized in the Western media
immediatelyaftertheNovember21electiondosupportclaimsofelectoralfraud,theexit
pollsthemselvesarenotwhollyabovesuspicion.Themostwidelydisseminatedclaim
hasbeenthatanauthoritativeexitpollshowedYushchenkotohavewontheelectionwith
a6percentlead;Yanukovychsgoverningpartywouldthushavestolentheelection,
fraudulently swinging the vote by 8.7 percent. According to betterinformed reports,
6

FordocumentationderivedfromFreedomofInformationActrequests,seewww.venezuelafoia.info.
SeePhilipStinard,GovernorEnriqueMendoza:Greenberg'smanfortheVenezuelanPresidency,
Vheadline(4July2004),http://www.vheadline.com/printer_news.asp?id=21881.
8
SeeAndersAslund,Ukraine'sFutureandU.S.Interests:TestimonybeforetheU.S.Houseof
RepresentativesCommitteeonInternationalRelations,SubcommitteeonEurope,CarnegieEndowment
forInternationalPeace(12May2004),http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?
fa=view&id=1533;LarryChin,ColdWarCrisisintheUkraine:ControlofOil:KeyGrandChessboard
'Pivot'atStake,CentreforResearchonGlobalization(26November2004),
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHI411D.html;andOlgaOliker,UkraineandtheCaspian:An
OpportunityfortheUnitedStates,IssuePaper198,RANDCenterforRussiaandEurasia(2000),
http://www.rand.org/publications/1P/1P198.
9
MichelChossudovsky,WarandGlobalization:TheTruthBehindSeptember11(ShantyBay,ON:Global
Outlook,2002),pp.6575.
7

5
however,twodistinctexitpollswereconducted.Oneofthese,organizedbytheright
wing U.S. thinktank Freedom House and the U.S. Democratic Partys National
Democratic Institute (NDI), and carried out by the Kyiv Democratic Initiatives
Foundation,10 perhapsaspartofagroupcallingitselftheExitPollconsortium, 11found
thatYushchenkowon54percentofthevotetoYanukovychs43percent.(Itisperhaps
this poll that the University of British Columbias Centre for Public Opinion and
Democracy is referring to in its claim that an exit poll conducted by independent
research firms showed Yushchenko to have won by 54 to 42 percent.) 12 The other
national exit poll, based on interviews rather than questionnaires, was conducted by
SOCISCompanyandtheSocialMonitoringCenter,andgaveYushchenko49.4percent
ofthevotetoYanukovychs45.9percent.13
ItisnotmypurposetoattemptanunravelingofthecomplexitiesoftheUkrainian
election.TheBritishHelsinkiHumanRightsGrouphaschallengedthevalidityoftheexit
polls,claimingthattheexitpollsterstheyobservedinonecitywereopenYushchenko
supportersandwerenotfollowingproperprocedures.14 WhileWesternobservershave
reported major irregularities in the governments conduct of the election, Michel
Chossudovsky and Ian Traynor have on the other hand adduced strong evidence of
interventions in the Ukrainian electoral process by U.S. governmental and quasi
governmentalagenciesthatresemblethesameagenciesinterventionsinSerbia,Georgia,
Belarus, and Venezuela.15 The voter turnout figures of 96 percent recorded in
AlexsandarVasovic,Ukraine'sEarlyResults,ExitPollsDiffer,AssociatedPress(21November2004),

10

availableatFindlaw,http://news.corporate.findlaw.com/ap_stories/i/1103/1121
2004/20041121220016_16.html.
11
JohnKubiniec,ElectionFraudinUkrainePresidentialVote,FreedomHouse(22November2004),
http://www.freedomhouse.org/media/pressrel/112204.htm.
12
Ukraine,CentreforPublicOpinionandDemocracy,TheUniversityofBritishColumbia,
http://www.cpod.ub.ca/tracker/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewitem&itemid=2591.
13
SOCISandtheSocialMonitoringCenterhadpreviouslycollaboratedinexitpolling;seePressRelease
[ExitPollsintheMarch2002ElectiontobeconductedbytheKievInstituteofSociology,SOCIS
Company,andtheSocialMonitoringCenter,coordinatedbytheDemocraticInitiativesFoundation],
http://www.def.org.ua/ep/en/pr.
14
Ukraine:2ndRoundofPresidentialElection,BritishHelsinkiHumanRightsGroup,
http://www.bhhrg.org/CountryReport.asp?ContryID=22&ReportID=230.
15
SeeChossudovsky,IMFSponsored'Democracy'inTheUkraine;andIanTraynor,UScampaign
behindtheturmoilinKiev,TheGuardian(26November2004),availableattheCentreforResearchon
Globalization(28November2004),http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/TRA411A.html.

6
YanukovychstrongholdsineasternUkrainearestronglyindicativeoffraud;solikewise
may be the 90% proYushchenko results declared in western Ukraine, where the
British Helsinki Group observed that Yushchenkos opposition party exercised
disproportionatecontrolovertheelectoralprocessinmanyplaces. 16 Inwhatseemsto
me a wellbalanced assessment, Dave Lindorff describes Leonid Kuchmas outgoing
regimeascorruptanddictatorial,andseestheoppositionsvehementprotestsagainst
electoralcorruptionasbeinglargelyindigenousandheartfeltwhilealsonotingthat
theCIAandvariousAmericanprodemocracyfrontgroups[are]playingacrucial
handindestabilizingtheproRussianregime.17 TowhichTimothyGartonAshwould
respondwiththeproverbaboutnotseeingtheforestforthetrees:whateverbadtrees
maybevisible,theshapeofthewoodisthatAnelectionwasstolen.
I would like merely to suggest that the interviewbased exit poll which gave
Yushchenko a 3.5 percent lead over Yanukovychand hence indicated an irregular
swingof6.2percentinthelattersfavourinthevotetalliesismorelikelytohavebeen
properlyconductedthantheexitpollwhichwasorganizedbyFreedomHouseandthe
NDI,andwhichmaywellhavebeenmarkedbySmatetypeimproprieties.
c.TheUnitedStates
LetusturntotheAmericanpresidentialelection,wherethesamekindofdatahas
encouragedsimilarsuspicionsthoughthankstothesoothingministrationsoftheU.S.
corporatemedia,withnothingresemblingthemassivepublicoutcryinUkraine.George
W.BushwashailedthewinneronNovember2,with51percentofthevotetoJohn
Kerrys48percent.Buttherearegoodreasonstobeskepticaloftheofficialvotetallies.
ThelastwaveofnationalexitpollspublishedontheeveningofNovember2polls
whichappeartohavebeendulyweightedtocorrectforsamplingimbalancesshowed
Kerry, not Bush, leading by 51 to 48 percent. 18 A divergence of 6 percent between
16

SeeUkraine:2ndRoundofresidentialElection.
17
DaveLindorff,DoubleStandardsonExitPolls:HypocrisySansIrony,CounterPunch(24November
2004),http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff11232004.html.
18
See'MysteryPollster'[MarkBlumenthal],ExitPolls:TheNEP[NationalElectionPool]Report,
MysteryPollster(5November2004),http://www.mysterypollster.com/main/2004/u/exit_polls_the_.html.

7
weightedexitpollsandtheofficialnumbersisastrongindicatorofelectoralfraud.
Atthedecisivepoint,moreover,thedivergencebetweentheexitpollresultsand
thevotetallywaswiderstill.19Priortotheelection,politicalanalystsidentifiedFlorida,
Ohio,andPennsylvaniaasthethreekeyswingstates:thecandidatewhocarriedthese
states,oramajorityofthem,wouldwintheelection.
BushwonFlorida,with52.1percentofthevotetoKerrys47.1percent.(This
tally,bytheway,divergesby4.9percentinBushsfavourfromthestateexitpoll,which
gaveBushapaperthin0.1percentlead.)KerrywonPennsylvania,with50.8percentof
thevotetoBushs48.6percent.(HereagainthevotetallydiffersinBushsfavourfrom
theexitpollresultsthistimeby6.5percent.)
ThatleftOhioasthedecidingstate,theoneonwhichthenationalelectionresults
depended. George W. Bush won Ohio, according to the official vote tally, with 51
percentofthevotetoJohnKerrys48.5percent.Thedivergenceinthiscasebetweenthe
votetallyandtheexitpoll,whichshowedKerryaswinningby52.1percenttoBushs
47.9percent,isfully6.7percent.
IsitpossiblethatthesethreedivergencesinBushsfavourbetweenexitpollsand
votetalliescouldhaveoccurredbychance?Iwouldntbetonit.Dr.StevenFreemanof
theUniversityofPennsylvaniasCenterforOrganizationalDynamicshascalculatedthat
theoddsagainstthesestatisticalanomaliesoccurringbychanceare662,000to1.20
Orareexitpollsperhapsjustnotasreliableaspeoplethink?Dr.Freemanhasan
answer to this question as well. In the last three national elections in Germany, the
differentialbetweentheexitpollsandthevotetallieswas,onaverage,0.27percent;and
inthelastthreeelectionstotheEuropeanParliament,thedifferentialinGermanywas
0.44percent.21 Exitpollsconductedprofessionallyandwithoutpoliticalbiasarehighly
accuratewhichiswhytheyhavebeenused(morehonestlyinmostcases,itwould
seem,thaninthePenn,Schoen&BerlandpollinVenezuelaandtheFreedomHouse
19

StevenF.Freeman,TheUnexplainedExitPollDiscrepancy:PartI,WorkingPaper#0410,Centerfor
OrganizationalDynamics,GraduateDivision,SchoolofArtsandSciences,UniversityofPennsylvania,
Buzzflash(21November2004),http://www.buzzflash.com/alerts/04/11/ale04090.html;alsoavailableat
Scoop(23November2004),http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0411/S00305.htm.
20
Ibid.
21
Ibid.

8
NDIpollinUkraine)asameasureofelectoralintegrityinsituationswhereimproprieties
havebeenanticipated.TheU.S.exitpollswereconductedbyMitofskyInternational,a
surveyresearchcompanyfoundedbyWarrenJ.Mitofsky,whoasthecompanyswebsite
proclaimscreatedtheExitPollresearchmodelandhasdirectedexitpollsandquick
counts since 1967 for almost 3,000 electoral contests. He has the distinction of
conductingthefirstnationalpresidentialexitpollsintheUnitedStates,Russia,Mexico
andthePhilippines.Hisrecordforaccuracyiswellknown.22
ThefactthatMitofskyInternationalsystematicallyalteredtheU.S.presidential
exitpolldataearlyonthemorningofNovember3,contaminatingtheexitpollfiguresby
conflatingthemwiththevotetallypercentages,hasquiterightlybecomeamatterof
controversy.23ButthereseemsnoreasontodoubtthattheMitofskyexitpolldatamade
availablebytheCNNwebsiteontheeveningofNovember2wasprofessionallygathered
andweighted.
Mightntonepropose,asalastresort,thatBushselectionwinningdivergenceof
6.7percentbetweentheOhioexitpollresultsandtheOhiovotetallywas,atanyrate,
somewhatlessscandalousthanthe13.7percentswingYanukovychspartywasblamed
forbytheFreedomHouseNDIexitpoll?(Ignore,ifyoulike,thelesser6.2percentswing
indicatedbytheSOCISandSocialMonitoringexitpollwhich,ifaccurate,showsthe
FreedomHouseNDIpolltobeskewedinYushchenkosfavourbyfully7.5percent.)But
ifstealingelectionsislikeknockingoffbanks,thefactthatonepractitionercandynamite
thevaultofthecentralbankandgetawaywithit,whilehislessfortunatecompeerdraws
unwantedattentionbyblowingoutallofthewindowsoftheneighbourhoodSavingsand
Loan,doesntmaketheformeranylessabankrobberthanthelatter.
TheparallelsbetweentheUkrainianandtheU.S.presidentialelectionsextend
beyond the exit poll divergences. Ballotbox stuffers appear to have achieved a 96
percentturnoutinpartsofeasternUkraine,withturnoutfiguresinsomeareasexceeding
22

NationalElectionPool(ABC,AP,CBS,CNN,FoxNews,NBCNews),Conductedby
Edison/Mitofsky,http://www.exitpoll.net.
23
SeeMichaelKeefer,FootprintsofElectoralFraud:TheNovember2ExitPollScam,Centrefor
ResearchonGlobalization(5November2004),http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/KEE411A.html;and
KeithOlbermann,Zogbyvs.Mitofsky,Bloggerman(24November2004),
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240.

9
100percent.ThereisevidenceofsimilarindiscretionsonthepartofBushselectoral
fraudteams.TwentynineprecinctsinasingleOhiocountyreportedmorevotescastthan
there are registered votersto a cumulative total of over 93,000 votes. 24 And in six
Floridacountiesthetotalnumberofvotesreportedtohavebeencastexceededbywide
marginsthetotalnumberofregisteredvoters.25 SenatorJohnMcCain,manifestingthe
samestunninglackofironyasotherRepublicanspokesmen,hasweighedinontheissue:
IRI[theInternationalRepublicanInstitute]foundthatinanumberofpollingstations,
thepercentageofvotescertifiedbytheCentralElectionCommissionexceeded100%of
total voters. This is simply disgraceful.26 McCain is of course referring to eastern
Ukraine;whenitcomestoFloridaorOhio,hekeepshiseyeswideshut.
The question of advance indications of electoral fraud offers a final point of
comparison.IntheUnitedStates,asinUkraine(whereinternationalobserversdescribed
thepollsandvotecountsinpreviouselectionsasdeeplyflawed),electoralfraudwas
widelyanticipatedpriortothe2004presidentialelection.
24

TeedRockwell,93,136EXTRAVotesFoundinONEOhioCounty,Rense.com(19November2004),
http://www.rense.com/general59/one.htm.[Asindicatedinthenoteattheheadofthisarticle,theindication
oflargenumbersof'ghost'votersinCuyahogaCountywassubsequentlyrevealedtobemistaken;itarose
becauseofthemisleadingmannerinwhichelectionresultswerepostedbytheCuyahogaCountyBoardof
Elections.MyessayTheStrangeDeathofAmericanDemocracy:EndgameinOhio,CentreforResearch
onGlobalization(24January2005),http://www.globalresearch.ca/article/KEE501A.html,reportedother
casesofimpossiblyhighcertifiedvoterturnoutfiguresintwoproBushOhiocounties,PerryCountyand
MiamiCountyaswellasimpossiblylowcertifiedturnoutfiguresinpredominantlyAfricanAmerican
precinctsinCuyahogaCounty.]
25
StirlingNewberry,TheVotersareRestless:ElectionFraudStorycirculatestheInternet,BOPNews
(n.d.),http://www.bopnews.com/archives/002403.htm#2403;andNot'WasItStolen',but'Wasit
Stealable',BOPNews(11November2004),http://www.bopnews.com/archives/002412.html.Inthestate
ofWyomingthenumberofvotescastlikewiseexceededthenumberofregisteredvotersbutinthatcase
therearenoevidentgroundsforsuspicion.AstheWyomingSecretaryofStateswebsiteexplains,There
were232,396registeredvotersinWyomingpriortothe[2004]GeneralElectionand245,789voted.This
waspossiblebecauseWyomingstatestatuteallowsvoterstoregisterandvoteatthepollsonGeneral
ElectionDay.(Wyomingscurrentvotingagepopulationnumbers376,359,ofwhom232,366[62percent]
wereregistered;245,789peoplevoted[106percentofregisteredvoters],foranoverallturnoutrateof65
percentofeligiblevoters.)InFloridaandOhio,however,electiondayregistrationisnotpermitted.
AccordingtoFloridasrules,Theregistrationbookswillbeclosedonthe29thdaybeforeeachelectionand
willremaincloseduntilafterthatelection.Youmustberegisteredforatleast29daysbeforeyoucanvote
inanelection.Ohiosrequirementsaresimilar:YoumustbeaU.S.citizenandaresidentofOhioforat
leastthirty(30)daysbeforetheelectionandyoumusthaveregisteredtovoteinOhioatleastthirty(30)
daysbeforetheelection.Withinthesestates,therefore,asurplusofvotescastoverandabovethenumber
ofregisteredvotersisaclearindicatorofelectoralirregularities.
26
McCainStatementonElectionsinUkraine,InternationalRepublicanInstitute(23November2004),
http://www.iri.org/112304McCain.asp.

10
AsthematerialsitemizedinthefirstthreesectionsoftheReadingListthatis
beingpublishedtoaccompanythisarticlemakeclear,theelectronicvotingtechnologies
inuseintheU.S.werewidelydenouncedbyelectronicsecurityexpertsmonthsandeven
yearsinadvance,aspermitting,indeedfacilitating,electoralfraud;thereisclearevidence
thatthe2000electionandthe2002midtermelectionsweremarkedbylargescalefraud
onthepartoftheBushRepublicans;andU.S.computerscientistsandinformedanalysts
warnedinsistentlythatfraudonanunprecedentedscalewaslikelytooccurinthisyears
election.27
Howhasitbeenpossibleforthemassiveironiesarisingoutofthesimilarities
betweentheelectionsintheU.S.andUkrainetopassunobservedinthecorporatemedia.
Havethemediabeensimplemindedlybutteringtheirbreadonbothsides?Ifso,itisa
habitthatmakesformessyeating.OnNovember20,anarticleinTheWashingtonPost
informed those who might question the U.S. election that Exit Polls Cant Always
PredictWinners,SoDontExpectThemTo.28 Twodayslater, TheWashingtonPost
carriedbreakingnewsoftheearlyelectionresultsfromUkraineandquotedapurported
electionstealerwhoholdsexactlythesameopinionofexitpolls:Thesepollsdont
work, said Gennady Korzh, a spokesman for Yanukovych. We will win by 3 to 5
percent.Andremember,ifAmericansbelievedexitpolls,andnottheactualcount,John
Kerrywouldbepresident.29

2.KeyIssuesandEvidenceintheU.S.PresidentialElection
Mainstream media assessments of the integrity of the 2004 U.S. presidential
election have tended to focus on particular and local problemscomputer errors or
27

SeeMichaelKeefer,EvidenceofFraudinthe2004U.S.PresidentialElection:AReader,Centrefor
ResearchonGlobalization(5December2004),http://www.globalresearch.ca/artickles/KEE412A.html.
28
RichardMorin,SurveyingtheDamage:ExitPollsCan'tAlwaysPredictWinners,SoDon'tExpect
ThemTo,TheWashingtonPost(20November2004),http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp
dyn/articles/A649062004Nov20.html?sub=AR.
29
PeterFinn,PartialVoteResultsShowaTightRaceinUkraineRunoff,TheWashingtonPost(22
November2004),http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/articles/A24782004Nov21.html.

11
glitches forthe mostpartthat cametolight onthedayoftheelection orshortly
afterwards.Naturallyenough,thefactthattheseproblemswerenoticed,andinsome
casescorrected,worksifanythingtoenhancepublicconfidenceintheintegrityofthe
electoralsystem.
Thestanceofthemainstreammediaisinadequateinatleasttworespects.First,
someoftheproblemswerenotmereaccidents,butopenandflagrantviolations of
democraticprinciples.Prominentamongthesewastheelectionnightlockdownofthe
WarrenCounty,Ohioadministrativebuilding,onwhollyspuriousgroundsofaterrorist
threat: as a result, the public, the press, and the local legal counsel for the Kerry
Edwards campaign were prevented from witnessing the vote count.30 This maneuver
generated widespread outrage: Warren Countys Republicans may perhaps have
misoverestimatedthedegreetowhichpreviousconvenientlytimedterroralertsand
OsamabinLadenslateOctoberJackintheBoxacthadtamedtheelectorate.
But more importantly, while problems and glitches have commonly been
coveredbythecorporatemediaaslocalissues,theycanberecognizedasbelongingtoa
largerpattern.AsJamesPatersonscompellinganalysisofTheTheftofthe2004US
Electionmakesclear,Republicanintentionswereevidentwellbeforetheelection.31And
asJosephCannonhasremarked,Anindividualproblemcanbedismissedasaglitch.
Butwhenerroraftererror aftererror favorsBushandnotasingleaccidentfavors
Kerry,weveleftglitchland.32
Thereiswidespreadevidence,whichgoeswellbeyondanymereaccumulationof
localproblems,thatglitchlandisindeedfarbehindus.Thelandscapetowhichthe
30

EricaSolvigandDanHorn,WarrenCo.defendslockdowndecision;FBIdenieswarningofficialsof
anyspecialthreat,TheCincinnatiEnquirer(10November2004),
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/11/10/loc_warrenvote10.html;andKeithOlbermann,withRichard
EngelandJimMiklaszewski,DidYourVoteCount?ThePlotThickens,Countdown,MSNBC(8
November2004),transcriptandvideostreamavailableunderthetitleNovember2nd:VoterFraudand
HomelandSecurityTerrorThreat'Advisories'inOhioandFlorida:Fraudonamassivescaleisnow
corroboratedbyNetworkTV,CentreforResearchonGlobalization,
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/MNB411A.html.
31
JamesPaterson,TheTheftofthe2004USElection,Freewebs.com,
http://www.freewebs.com/stolenelection/index.htm.
32
JosephCannon,Theempirestrikesback:Dataanddisinformation,Cannonfire(12November2004),
http://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/2004/11/empirestrikesbackdataand.html.

12
2004U.S.presidentialelectionbelongsincludesthemurkyswampsofTammanyHall
styleelectionfixingandthestillmoresinistermorassesofJimCrowaswell.
IthasbeenreportedthatRepublicancontrolledcountiesinOhioandelsewhere
soughttoreducetheAfricanAmericanvotebydeliberatelycurtailingthenumbersof
pollingstationsandvotingmachinesinworkingclassprecincts:largenumbersofwould
bevoterswereeffectivelydisenfranchisedbylineupsthatweremanyhourslong. 33The
Republican Partys purging of African Americans from voters lists gained the 2000
electionforGeorgeW.Bush;34 asinformedobservershadanticipated, 35 thisshameful
illegalitywasrepeatedin2004onawiderscale.
Largescalepollingstationchallengeswereusedtofurtherslowthevoting,andto
turn the new provisional ballots into a mechanism for effectively disenfranchising
minorityvoters.IntheswingstateofOhiothisyear,itappearsthatfully155,000voters
most of them AfricanAmericanswere obliged as a result of pollingstation
challenges to cast provisional ballots.36 Although it is becoming clear that the great
majorityofthesecitizenswerelegallyentitledtovote,37 thelikelihoodthattheirvotes
willbefairlycounted,orthatOhiosRepublicanSecretaryofStateKenBlackwellwill
permitthemtobeincludedintheofficialtally,remainsslender.
33

BobFitrakis,Nonedarecallitvotesuppressionandfraud,TheFreePress(7November2004),
http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/983;Fitrakis,DocumentrevealsColumbus,Ohiovoters
waitedhoursaselectionofficialsheldbackelectionmachines,TheFreePress(16November2004),
http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/990;Fitrakis,HowtheOhioelectionwasriggedfor
Bush,TheFreePress(22November2004),http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/995.
34
JohnConyers,Jr.,andDemocraticInvestigativeStaff,HouseCommitteeontheJudiciary,HowtoMake
OverOneMillionVotesDisappear:ElectoralSleightofHandinthe2000PresidentialElection.AFifty
StateReportPreparedforRep.JohnConyers,Jr.(RankingMember,HouseCommitteeontheJudiciary;
Dean,CongressionalBlackCaucus(Washington,DC:U.S.HouseofRepresentatives,August20,2001).
35
GregPalast,ElectoralFraud,EthnicCleansingofVoterRolls,AnElectionSpoiledRotten,
TomPaine.com(1November2004),http://www.tompaine.com;availableattheCentreforResearchon
Globalization(4November2004),http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/PAL411A.html;MartinLuther
KingIII,andGregPalast,JimCrowRevivedinCyberspace,TheBaltimoreSun(8May2003);available
athttp://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=222&row=1.
36
GregPalast,KerryWonOhio:JustCounttheBallotsattheBackoftheBus,InTheseTimes(12
November2004),http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=393&row=0;alsopublishedasMostvoters
inOhiochoseKerry;here'showthevotesvanished,OpEdNews(15November2004),
http://www.opednews.com/palast_111504_ohio_chose_kerry.htm.SeealsoDavidSolnit,MassiveVote
SuppressionandCorruptioninOhio,CentreforResearchonGlobalization(3November2004),
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/SOL411A.html.
37
MarkWilliams,OhioProvisionalBallotsSeemLegitimate,AssociatedPress(17November2004);
availableatTruthout(18November2004),http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/111804V.shtml.

13
TheeffectofthisJimCrowmechanismappearstobecompoundedbyracially
biasedjudgments ofballotspoilage.AsGregPalastreports,54percentofallballots
judgedspoiledinthe2000electioninFloridawerecastbyAfricanAmericanvoters,
andsimilarlyscandalouspercentagesareexpectedinkeystatesthistimeround.Norhave
AfricanAmericansbeenthesolevictimsofthesetactics:itappearsthatinNewMexico,
whereHispanicsballotsarefivetimesmorelikelytobelaidasideasspoiledthanthose
of white voters, 13,000 Hispanics were effectively disenfranchised by means of
provisionalballots.38BushwonNewMexicobylessthanhalfthatnumberofvotes.
Butitisthecopresenceofotherformsofcorruption,inadditiontoallthese,that
establishesthedifferencebetweenanelectiondirtiedbyillegalities,andonethatwasnot
merelysoiledanddistortedbyfraudbutactuallystolen.Theevidencepresentedwithin
thetextslistedinmyEvidenceofFraudbibliographysuggestswithgatheringstrength
thattheKarlRovianmaneuversalludedtoaboveweresupplementedonNovember2,
2004 by less conspicuousand yet decisivemanipulations of the machines that
recordedandtabulatedthevotes.
Howpreciselythisapparentmanipulationmayhavebeencarriedoutindifferent
jurisdictionsby rigging machines in advance to misrecord or delete votes, by
configuringproprietarysoftwaresoastoallowbackdooraccessforunrestrainedvote
tampering,orbyhackingintothenotoriouslyinsecurevotetabulationsystemsremains
asyetundetermined.However,theevidencehasbeencomingtolightwithsurprising
rapidity.
Asobserversandanalystsnotedatonce,troublingdiscrepancieswereapparent
betweentheexitpollresultspublishedbyCNNontheeveningofNovember2andthe
officialvotetallies.39Nolessdisturbing,asIobservedinmyarticleonthesubject,isthe
38

Palast,KerryWonOhio.
SeeFaunOtter,VoteFraudExitPollsVsActuals,Scoop(4November2004),
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0411/S00072.htm;JonathanSimon,47StateExitPollAnalysis
ConfirmsSwingAnomaly,Scoop(11November2004);availableat
http://www.opednews.com/votergate2004.htm;DavidDodge,ResponsetoMIT/Caltech,Ustogether.org
(13November2004),http://ustogether.org/election04/dodge/MIT_Caltech_rebuttal_111304.htm;SaraS.
DeHart,SomethingisRotteninDenmark:ExitpolldatainformerSovietRepublicofGeorgiavs.USA,
OnlineJournal(17November2004),
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/111704DeHart/111704dehart.html;andStevenFreeman,The
UnexplainedExitPollDiscrepancy.
39

14
factthattheexitpolldatawassystematicallytamperedwithearlyonNovember3to
make thefiguresconformtothevote tallies. At1:41a.m.ESTonNovember3,for
example, the Ohio exit poll was altered: Kerry, who had previously been shown as
leadingBushby4percentinthatstate,wasnowrepresentedintherevisedexitpollas
trailinghimby2.5percent.Andyetthenumberofrespondentsinthepollhadincreased
from1,963toonly2,020.Anadditional57respondentsa2.8percentincreasehad
somehow produced a 6.5 percent swing from Kerry to Bush. At 1:01 a.m. EST on
November3,theFloridaexitpollwaslikewisealtered:Kerry,whohadpreviouslybeen
showninaneardeadheatwithBush,nowtrailedhimby4percent.Inthiscase,the
numberofrespondentsroseonlyfrom2,846to2,862.Amere16respondents0.55
percentofthetotalproduceda4percentswingtoBush.40
However,thekeyexitpollissueremainsthedivergencebetweentheNovember2
exitpollsandthevotetallies.StevenFreemanconcluded,inthefirstdraftofhisjudicious
studyoftheNovember2exitpolldata, thatSystematic fraudormistabulation is a
prematureconclusion,buttheelectionsunexplainedexitpolldiscrepanciesmakeitan
unavoidablehypothesis,onethatistheresponsibilityofthemedia,academia,polling
agencies,andthepublictoinvestigate.41
Other evidence points toward a strengthening, indeed to a substantial
confirmationofthisunavoidablehypothesisofsystematicfraud.Someofthisevidence
hasbeenemergingfromtheswingstateofNorthCarolina,andfromthetwokeyswing
statesofFloridaandOhioeitheroneofwhich,hadJohnKerrywonit,wouldhave
madehimtheacknowledgedPresidentelect.
In North Carolina, the telltale marks of electronic electoral fraud have been
broughttolightbyananalystwhopublishesattheDemocraticUndergroundsiteunder
thenameofignatzmouse.(Ignatz,remember,isthenameofthemousewhointhe
KrazyKatcartoonssmackstheunhappycatwiththeinevitablebrick.Thatpeskymouse
isonceagainontarget.)
WhatgivesthegameawayintheNorthCarolinaelectiondataisthedisparity
40

Keefer,FootprintsofElectoralFraud.

41

StevenF.Freeman,TheUnexplainedExitPollDiscrepancy[FirstDraft],Buzzflash(11November
2004),http://www.buzzflash.com/alerts/04/11/ale04090.html.

15
withinthepresidentialandsenatorialvotecountsbetweenthesocalledabsenteevotes
a category that apparently includes the early voting data as well as votes cast by
citizens living abroad and military personneland the pollingday votes cast on
November2.
IntheraceforGovernor,30percentofthevotescastfortheRepublicanandthe
Democratic candidate alike were absentee votes; the other 70 percent were cast on
November2.TheDemocratwonwith55.6percentofboththeabsenteeandthepolling
dayvotes.InmostoftheotherstatewideracesintheNorthCarolinaelectiontherewere
similarly close correlations between absentee and pollingday votes. For example,
DemocratswonthepostofLieutenantGovernor,with55.7percentofabsenteeand55.5
percentofpollingdayvotes;thepostofSecretaryofState,with58percentofabsentee
and57percentofpollingdayvotes;andthepostofAttorneyGeneral,with56.7percent
ofabsenteeand55.2percentofpollingdayvotes.Inthreeotherstatewideraces,andin
the voting forthree constitutional amendments, the correlation between absentee and
pollingdayvotesremainsveryclose(thoughtightracesforthreeotherpositionsinthe
stateadministrationwerewonbyRepublicanswithpollingdayswingsinfavourofthe
Republicancandidatesof4.2,5.2,and5.4percentrespectively).
Giventheclosecorrelationsbetweenabsenteeandpollingdayvotesintenofthe
thirteenstatewideraces,thesenateresultlookssuspicious:theDemocratsnarrowleadin
theabsenteevotingbecameacleardefeatonNovember2,witha6.4percentswinginthe
pollingdayvotestotheRepublican.Andthepresidential resultslookmoreseriously
implausible.Intheabsenteevotes,Kerrytrailedby6percent,aresultthatignatzmouse
remarksisconsistentwiththepreelectionpollsandmostimportantlywiththeexitpolls
ofNovember2nd.Butintheelectiondayvoting,therewasafurtherswingoffully9
percenttoBush.Bushledintheabsenteevotes(30percentofthetotal)by52.9percent
toKerrys46.9percent;butonpollingdayhetook57.3percentoftheremainingvotes,
whileKerryreceived42.3percent.Intheabsenceofanyotherexplanation,thesefigures
point to electronic fraudand, more precisely, to a datespecific alteration in the
software,ahack,oraspecific[software]activationjustpriortotheelection.42
42

'ignatzmouse,'UnfficialAuditofNCElection:ComprehensiveCaseforFraud,Democratic

16
TheFloridaevidenceis,ifanything,moreflagrant.OnNovember18,Professor
Michael Hout of the University of California at Berkeley released a statistical study
indicatingthatelectronicvotingtechnologyhadproducedaverysubstantialdistortionof
thepresidentialvotetallyinFlorida.AccordingtotheanalysesconductedbyHoutand
histeam,irregularitiesassociatedwithelectronicvotingmachinesaccountedforatleast
130,000votesinBushsleadoverKerryinFloridaandpossiblytwicethatmuch.(The
uncertaintystemsfromthefactthatthemachinesmayhaveawardedBushghostvotes
whichincreasedhistallywithoutreducingKerrys,ortheymayhavemisattributedKerry
votesasBushvotes.AsHoutexplains,thedisparitiesamountto130,000votesifwe
assumeaghostvotemechanismandtwicethat260,000votesifweassumethata
votemisattributedtoonecandidateshouldhavebeencountedfortheother.)43
Houtsresultshavenotgoneunchallenged;44 obviouslyenough,thevalidityof
statisticalanalysesdependsontheextenttowhichallpossiblecausalfactorshavebeen
accountedfor.ButotherdataindicatesthatthehauntingofFloridaselectronicvoting
tabulatorswasifanythingmoreseriousthanHoutandhisassociatesbelieve.AsIhave
alreadynoted,insixFloridacountiesthenumberofvotespurportedlycastexceededthe
numberofregisteredvotersbyacumulativetotalof188,885.45 Theseareapparently
ghost votes, and unless were willing to assume a level of electoral participation
resembling those claimed bytotalitarian states like Ceaucescus Romania orSaddam
HusseinsIraq,asignificantpercentageoftheothervotescastinthesecountiesmustalso
representtheelectoralchoicenotofhumanbeingsbutofRepublicanhackers.
Further evidence which may help to identify the agents involved in Floridas
electronicvotingfraudhasinfactbeguntoemerge.BrandonAdams,forexample,has
Underground(12November2004),http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?
az=shpw_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=45003&mesg_id=45003.
43
MichaelHoutetal.,withtheassistanceoftheUCBerkeleyQuantitativeMethodsResearchTeam,The
EffectofElectronicVotingMachinesonChangeinSupportforBushinthe2004FloridaElections,
WorkingPaper,UCData(DataArchive&TechnicalAssistance),UCBerkeleySurveyResearchCenter
(18November2004),http://www.ucdata.berkeley.edu.
44
AlexStrashny,WorkingPaper:Thelackofeffectofelectronicvotingmachinesonchangeinsupport
forBushinthe2004Floridaelections,InstituteforMathematicalBehavioralSciences,Universityof
California,Irvine,availableatVerifiedvoting.org(21November2004),
http://verifiedvoting.org/article.php?id=5347.
45
Newberry,citedinn.25above.

17
notedstrikingdivergencesamongFloridavotersaccordingtothemakesandmodelsof
the voting machines they used in different counties; 46 and a heavy hacking of vote
tabulationsystemsusedinconjunctionwiththeolderopticalscanvotingmachinesis
nowwellestablished.47
Moreover, statisticallybased work is being complemented by acquisitions of
directmaterialevidence.InVolusiaCounty,oneofFloridassixmostseriouslyhaunted
counties, where 19,306 more votes were cast than there are registered voters, Bev
HarrissBlackBoxVotingteamcaughtcountyelectionofficialsredhandedonNovember
16intheactoftrashingoriginalpollingplacetapeswhichBlackBoxVotinghadasked
forinaFreedomofInformationrequest.Inadditiontofilmingthebehaviourofcounty
officials,herteamwasabletoestablishthatsomecopiesofthetapesthatofficialshad
preparedtogivetheminresponsetotheFreedomofInformationActrequesthadbeen
falsifiedinfavourofGeorgeW.Bushinoneprecinctalonebyhundredsofvotes. 48The
Volusia County materials provide proof, moreover, that the GEMS central vote
tabulation system, which was supposedly standalone and nonnetworked, was
remotelyaccessedduringtheelection.49
Ohio,remember,wasthedecidingstate.JohnKerryconcededtheelectionafter
calculatingthatthesome155,000provisionalballotscastinOhiowouldnotsuffice
eveniftheywereproperlycounted,andevenif,asexpected,theywereverylargelycast
byKerrysupporterstooverturnthetalliedresults,accordingtowhichBushhadwon
thestateby136,483votes.
However,theexitpolldataindicatesthatitwasKerrywhowonthestate,andbya
46

BrandonAams,AnExaminationofthe2004Elections,http://www.electionexamination.blogspot.com.
Paterson,TheTheftofthe2004USElection;BevHarris,TheTamperingofElectronicVoting
SystemsonNovember2nd,BlackBoxVoting(7November2004),http://www.blackboxvoting.org,available
attheCentreforResearchonGlobalization(8November2004),
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/HAR411A.html.
48
BevHarris,VoteFraud,VolusiaCountyonLockdown.Countyelectionrecordsjustgotputon
lockdown:Duellinglawyers,electionofficialsgnashingteeth,Votergate.tvfilmcrewcatchingitall,
Scoop(16November2004),http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0411/S00246.htm;ThomHartmann,
'StinkingEvidence'ofPossibleElectionFraudFoundinFlorida,Scoop(19November2004),
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0411/S00258.htm.
49
BevHarris,DemsPocket$52Million,CNNIgnoresEvidence,andOfficialsStonewallWhatVote
Fraud?BreakForNews.com(24November2004),
http://www.breakfornews.com/articles/WhatVoteFraud.htm.
47

18
comfortable margin. Once again, there is substantial evidence of electronic electoral
fraud. Teed Rockwell found, after careful study of the Cuyahoga County Board of
Elections website, that twentynine precincts in this county reported votes cast IN
EXCESSofthenumberofregisteredvotersatleast93,136extravotestotal.Thesame
websitehestudiedalsorepaysfurtherstudy,forRockwellstallyingofghostvotesisin
factconservative.50Tocitejustoneexample,BrookParkCityislistedashaving14,491
registeredvoters,ofwhomitisclaimedthatfully14,458exercisedtheircivicdutyand
castballotsforaturnoutrateof99.4percent.Ileaveittothecurioustodiscoverhow
manyofthesehighmindedbutpossiblynonexistentcitizenssupportedtheirincumbent
President.
ThosewhowanttopursuethequestionsofvotefraudandsuppressioninOhio
mayalsowanttoconsultthestudiescarriedoutbyRichardPhilips,whosework,together
with the data available on the websites of Cuyahoga and other counties, provides
depressing evidence of successful vote suppression in urban precincts. (It has been
estimated that vote suppression tactics may have cost Kerry 45,000 votes across the
wholestateofOhio.)51
TheGreenPartyandLibertarianPartypresidentialcandidates,belatedlyfollowed
by the Kerry/Edwards campaign, have called for a recount in Ohio. But if Ohios
Republican Secretary of State Blackwell permits no more than a recount, without a
rigorousauditoftheelectronicvotingmachinesandtabulatorsaswell,thenumbersfora
reversaloftheelectionresultsareprobablynotthere.Ontheoptimisticassumptionthata
faircountofthe155,000provisionalballotswouldresultin10percentofthembeing
disqualifiedand70percentoftheremainderbeingvalidatedasKerryvotes,thoseballots
might reduce Bushs lead in Ohio by as much as 55,800 votes. However, it seems
unlikelythatarecount,includingareexaminationofthemorethan96,000Ohiovotes
(mostofthemcastonoldpunchcardmachines)thatwerediscardedasspoiled,would
50

ThewebsiteisthatoftheCuyahogaCountyBoardofElections,
http://boe.cuyahogacounty.us/BOE/results/currentresults1.htm#top.
51
DavidS.Bernstein,QuestioningOhio:Nocontroversythistime?Thinkagain,TheBostonPhoenix
(1218November2004),http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/other_stories/multi
page/documents/04256171.asp.

19
turnupthealmost81,000additionalKerryvotesthatwouldstillbeneeded.
Togetherwiththeprinciplethateverydulycastvotemustbecounted,advocates
fordemocracyneedtoassertanothercomplementaryprinciple:theprinciplethatvotes
castnotinpollingbooths,butintheharddrivesofvotingtabulationmachines;andnot
bycitizens,butratherbyghostssummonedintoexistencebyRepublicanhackersnimble
fingers,havenobusinessgettingcounted,andshouldberemovedfromthetally.
TheeffectofturningaGhostbustercomputerauditingteamlikeBevHarriss
BlackBoxVotingorganizationlooseontheOhioresults,tocarryoutaseriousauditof
anypollingprecinctandcomputerlogdatathathasntalreadybeenquietlydestroyed,
mightwellbestartling.ForwhileasimplerecountwouldprobablyleaveKerrytrailing
byseveraltensofthousandsofvotes,athoroughcomputerauditexorcismofthevote
tallies,shouldsuchathingeverbepermitted,mightwellleadtoareversalofthenational
electionresults.
Whateverthefinallycertifiedresultsmaybe,alargerinformingcontextshould
notbeforgotten.TheregimeofGeorgeW.Bushhasmadenosecretofitsscornforthe
AmericanConstitutionandBillofRights,itshostilitytoanynotionofinternationallaw,
itscontemptuousdismissalofthedecentopinionofhumankindbothathomeandabroad,
itscontempt,inthemostinclusivesense,fortruth.
Bushhasclaimedthatthe2004electiongavehimcapitalwhichhenowwill
nothesitatetospend.Anearlyinstanceofthisexpenditurehasbeentheassaultonthe
cityofFallujah,andacompoundingofthemanifoldwarcrimesofwhichBushandthose
whoservehimarealreadyguilty.
Butwhatisthiscapital?Astheevidenceisrevealingwithgrowingclarity,the
2004presidentialelectionwasnotinfactavictoryforBush,butrathertheoccasionfor
aninsolentusurpation.
A president who takes office through fraud and usurpation can make no
legitimateclaimtoexercisethestolenpowerofhisoffice.
Astheknowledgeofhisoffencebecomesevermorewidelydisseminated,hemay
yetcome,likeShakespearesMacbeth,[to]feelhistitle/Hanglooseuponhim,likea
giantsrobe/Uponadwarfishthief.

20